Fastener for doors of laundry washers



W. P. KING FASTENER FOR DOORS OF LAUNDRY WASHERS Filed Feb. 25, 1926 Patented Aug. l0, i926.

U N IAT E D STATE S WILLIAM P. KIN@ 0F FASTENER FOR DOORS SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

or LAUNDRY wrismszras.

Application filed'V February 25, 1926. Serial No. 90,606.

' This invention relates to fasteners for doors oflaundry washers and the like, and has for its object to provide novel, simple and automatic meansfor gripping and holding the doors in the open position, to enable the operator to fill and empty the tubs; the said fasteners being'designed particularly for preventing accidental closing of the doors and injuring the operators hands. A further obj ect is to provide va pedestal, which may be mounted between the spaced doors of the well-known cylindrical washers, and to pivotally mount upon said pedestal similar latch-bars, which are arranged to partially overhang the adjacent end margins of the doors; the said latch-bars having teeth for engaging parts ofthe doors, and being arranged to yield awayfrom the doors, when the latter are raised, and then to spring back toward the doors and grip said margins, for holding the doors ajar.y vAnd a further object is to provide means for adjusting the latchsbars, when the spaces between the doors vary, the said latches being released by the operator swinging their free ends away from the doors, for disengaging the said teeth.

I attain these objects by the means set forth in the detailed description which follows, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure l is a top plan view of a cylindrical laundry washer having similar aligning doors, between whichmy improved fastener is applied. Fig. 2 is a brolren end elevation of the same in which the full lines show one of the doors of the rotatable cylinder closed, the dotted lines showing the door held in the open position by one of the latches. Fig. 3 is a broken'top plan view of a washer having a single door, to which a modified fastener equipped with a single latch is applied. And Fig. 4 is a broken end view and partial vertical section ofthe same,'the section being taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

sponding openings 3 of the stationary cylinj metal facings 4C, which normally project at the end and bottom edges of doors, for forming flanges or Valances 4d, that overlap the margins of the openings 42L when the doors areclosed. These flanges 4d frictionally engage the adjustable latch-members of the fasteners. i f

The fastener shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises a pedestal 5, which is provided with a foot-flange 5. that is perforated to receive screws 5a, by which the said flange may be rigidly7 secured to the main cylinder 2, preferably between the openings 3a. Upon the pedestal 5 is rigidly mounted an elongated plate 6, which is disposed vat right angles to the foot-flange 5, the said plate being perforated at intervals, as at 6, for rendering parts of the fastener adjustable. 7 7 represent the swingable latching members which comprise similar elongated irregular-shaped metal arms, the corresponding ends of said arms being perforated to receive screws 7, which engage the holes 6', ufor pivotally mounting the arms upon the plate 6. The perforated ends o-f the arms 7 7 are thickened for forming shoulders 7 b which loosely over-lap the rear edge of the plate 6, and limit the swinging movements of said arms in opposite directions, towards and away` from the doors 4 4. Intermediate their ends the arms 7 7 are formed with similar teeth 7 c, the said Ateeth preferably being arranged to face the corresponding doors, and

the rear ends of said arms being formed with integral hooks 7 d, for facilitating attachment of a common spring 8, whose tension is exerted for normally spreading and holding the free ends of said arms in the latching position, as shown by the full lines in Fig. l. The construction and arrangement of the arm 7 7 is suchthat, the teeth 7c are normally disposed across the paths of the adjacent flanges 4d, `so thattwhen the doors 4 4 are raised, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the flanges 4d engage the inclined edges 7 e of the latches, and force the arms outwardly untilthe flanges .4d reach and snap behind the teeth 7", as shown in Fig. 2. The tension of the spring 8 effects this automatic latching of the doors 4 4, and holds the lsaid doors open. The swinging of the arms 7 7 against the tension of spring 8, as to the dott-ed position, shown -in Fig. l, frees the teeth 7 and permits the doors to be closed.

Figs. 3 and 4l illustrate a modified fastener, consisting of a perforated base 9, which may be rigidly secured to the outer cylinder 2, by means of screws 9. Upon this base 9 is mounted transversely a plate 9a, which is held in place by a screw 9b, the latter being threaded into the base, and the said plate being rendered adjustable lengthwise, by means of a slot 9C, through which the screw 9b passes. The free end of the plate 9a is perforated and supports one end of a latch-bar l0, the latter being perforated to Areceive a screw 10, by which the bar is pivotally held in place. rllhe bar l0 is also provided with a shoulder 10, which engages tile rear edge of plate 9, for limiting the swinging movements of the said bar, as shown by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 3- A spring l2 anchored to the base 9, and engaging a hook 10b of the latch-bar l0, tends to resiliently hold the said bar in the fnll 'line or latching position, shown in 3v Between the pivot 10, and its free end the bar i0 is formed with a tooth 10C which over-laps the flange 13, of a single door 13 carried by a cylindrical washing member 13a, the saine as the latch-bars T T. The raising of the door 13 swings the bar 10 toward the dotted position, shown in Fig. 3 snliieiently to allow the flange 13 to snap behind the tooth l0C for holding the door open, as explained.

rlhe fastener herein described and shown is extremely simple, and when properly constructed, applied and adjusted, positively holds the doors at the proper angle relat'vely to the door openings, and when so installed the fastener needs no attention except to release the latch-bars forclosing the doors. The fasteners obviate the danger of the doors being accident-ally released and falling, and when mounted as shown in the drawings, neither pedestals or ylatch-bars interfere with the operation of the washers. The present fastener contains but a few parts, and may be produced and installed at small expense.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. 'Ihe combination with a laundry washer having spaced doors, of a fastener' comprising` a pedestal mounted npon the washer between said doors, a plate mounted rigidly upon said pedestal, latch bars pivotally supported by said plate, said bars being disposed parallel to the ends of the doors, the said bars being formed with teeth that face the doors, and said teeth Overlapping the end Leonesa margins of the doors, and tension means for spreading the free ends of said bars for resiliently holding the teeth in the latching position;

2. IThe combination with a laundry washer having spaced doors, of a fastener comprising a pedestal mounted upon the washer between said doors, latch-bars pivotally supported by said pedestal, said bars being disposed parallel to the ends of the doors and overlapping said ends, said bars having teeth that overhang the margin of said ends, said bars adapted when frietionally engaged by said margin to swing away from the doors, and tension means for moving the bars toward the doors and causing said teeth to grip said margin for holding the doors open.

3.y rIhe combination with a cylindrical laundry washer having openings and an inner cylinder having coinciding openings closed by swinging doors, of a fastener comprising a pedestal mounted upon the outer cylinder between said aligning openings, a perforated plate mounted upon said pedestal, similar latch-bars pivotally mounted upon said plate by means that engage said perforation, said latch-bars having shoul-k ders for looselyV engaging an edge of said plate for limiting the swinging movements of said latch-bars, said latclrbars extending forwardly and overhanging the adjacent margins of said doors and having teeth facA ing the doors adapt-ed to grip said margins for holding the doors in open position, and a spring interposed between the shoulders of said latch-bars for resiliently holding the free ends of said bars spread apart.

l. The combination with a laundry washer having openings closed by upwardly swinging doors, of a fastener comprising a pedestal mounted upon the washer between said doors, a plate supported by said pedestal Vapair of latch-bars having their corresponding ends pivoted to said plate the opposite ends of said bars being extended and over* lapping the corresponding margins of said doors, means forlimiting the spreading of the free ends of said bars, tensionmeans for normally holding the free ends of said bars spread to the full yextent of said limiting means, the remote edges of said bars being formed with teeth that overhang the margins of the doors, said bars adapted to he moved towards each other by the opening of doors and to spring back toward the doors when the said margins snap into the bights of said teeth. y

In testimony whereof I aliX my signature.

WILLIAM P. KING. 

